Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 367

Click, click.

I moved the mouse to check the chat rooms first. It was one of the first things I did every time I logged into the community.

[Korean Independence Forever] – 0 members online.

The Korean chat room where I first met Baekho. As usual, there were no members online this time either.

‘Hah, I wouldn’t mind meeting up and having a heart-to-heart with them, though…’

I quickly checked it and moved the screen to the free board. Usually, posts explode after the community opens. There’s no better time to briefly review the events of the past month.

[Breaking News] Viscount Ramreond died in this expedition.

-I heard that Commander Orculys took four people and messed him up.

-It’s highly likely that the vacant position of the 3rd Corps Commander will be passed on to the Chief of Staff, who served as a proxy during this expedition.

[these99: The weakness of the [Wall of Gold] has been exposed to the world due to this incident, so the rear will no longer be a cushy position.]

[└SecureId7: Not a cushy position? Looking at it, not many people died. At best, the patrol force will increase a little more in the future.]

[stevencastle: But isn’t that Chief of Staff Elthora Terserion, that bastard?]

[└Writer: That’s right. The Prime Minister’s son.]

[└stevencastle: Ha, I should never go to the 3rd Corps in the future. I’ve never had a good ending after getting involved with that bastard.]

As expected, most of the posts on the board were about the war.

[Anyone heard about the Blood Spirit Marquis?]

-I heard that he killed an Orculys member called a lighthouse keeper or something, is that true? I heard that there were also a blood knight, a corpse collector, and a wailing witch on the other side.

[marcelone: It’s confirmed information that everyone who needs to know already knows. By the way, I heard that he didn’t kill him alone, but joined forces with a golden mage.]

[└Writer: Wow, really? They used to be colleagues, so I guess they’re not as bad as the rumors say.]

[marcelone: Still, the enemy’s power was too strong, so there are many speculations. Even if he is the Blood Spirit Marquis, it doesn’t make sense that he caught the lighthouse keeper, who was a support position, against such a force, right?]

Tsk, there are people who are questioning this part too. If there are doubts here, then they might have really started an investigation in other places.

Click, click.

I kept reading the posts while thinking about this and that. And how much time had passed?

Ding-!

Suddenly, a 쪽지 (jjokji) [small note or message] arrived.

[Sender: Ghost master.]

The sender’s name was GM’s nickname, but it wasn’t surprising. System messages or announcements within the community are sent under this name. More than 90% of the 쪽지 (jjokji) in my inbox are from GM.

But…….

‘Since I have a lot of karma, I’m getting nervous for no reason.’

I clicked the mouse, feeling like what was coming had come. And as expected.

[I was too busy last time to contact you, so I’m contacting you now. If you have time, let’s meet now.]

An invitation came from GM.

***

It wasn’t really surprising. I had expected GM to contact me. It was more strange that it had only come now.

‘Honestly, I thought they would contact me right after the last round.’

I revealed GM’s identity at the Round Table. And this would have been conveyed to GM through the Soul Queens.

‘But the fact that they’re contacting me in the next round means…’

There are two possibilities. They wanted to take their time and meet carefully. Or, they were in an environment where they couldn’t receive contact while the community was being activated.

Well, it doesn’t matter much.

‘Then what should I do…’

I paused for a moment with the 쪽지 (jjokji) open. Even if I refuse the invitation, GM probably won’t ban me or anything. I was wearing a lion mask and pretending to be a big shot. If they have any sense, they wouldn’t want to completely cut ties with me. Especially if they had the experience of almost dying in reality after banning Baekho.

‘…Okay, let’s just meet once.’

Now that I’ve made a decision, there’s nothing to hold me back. I closed the 쪽지 (jjokji) window and entered the password for the secret chat room that was written on the 쪽지 (jjokji).

‘The password is 0720? Is it some kind of anniversary?’

I thought about it, but even if the guess was true, it wasn’t something to worry about deeply. Whoosh-!

The light that emanated from the monitor flashed, and when I opened my eyes, I was in a study with a classic interior.

“…….”

The subtle scent of books. This place, which had a calming atmosphere, was somewhat familiar to me. Because I had been here once. It was during the time when rumors of a dimensional collapse were circulating. While checking whether the rumors were true or not, I got information from a man here.

[Elfnunalove]

The man with that strange nickname above his head. I never imagined that he would be GM back then. Well, maybe it’s the same for him?

“It’s been a while, Elfnuna-nim. Or should I call you Lion-nim?”

“Either way is fine.”

“Your way of speaking has changed a lot. Or is this your true self?”

I ignored the probing question and sat on the sofa opposite him, since there was no reason to answer. Then, he put on a fake smile.

“By the way, this is our third meeting. Isn’t it strange? The connection between people.”

Indeed, it’s strange. The first meeting was when I was a newbie looking for information in the community, and the second was in the chat room with Baekho.

[That’s right. You won’t be able to meet Baekho here anymore.]

He told me, who was from the same hometown as Baekho, the situation briefly out of courtesy, and that was it. To him, I was just another rare Korean player, nothing more, nothing less.

“You’ve become much more taciturn since I last saw you.”

“…….”

“Then I’ll ask directly. I don’t easily believe in connections. What do you want from me?”

What I want…….

“Why do you think I want something?”

“The first meeting, if not the second, was clearly intentional.”

Right, that’s how he interpreted it. It was a real coincidence.

“But you were the one who invited me to the chat room back then, right?”

“Yes, I did. But now that I think about it, it’s strange. The fact that you specifically mentioned the Tarutein School and the mage Shernal Pergang in your question post.”

“…….”

“No matter how much I think about it, I can only think that you were trying to draw me in. Didn’t you deliberately post something that would interest me?”

He’s funny too. What benefit would I get from that?

“After thinking about that, I felt a chill. It means you knew me that well.”

It’s a ridiculous leap, but there was no benefit in saying it myself, so I ended the conversation around here.

“…You didn’t call me just to talk about that, did you?”

“Are you avoiding the answer?”

Avoiding what. I can’t tell the truth.

“Think whatever you want.”

“I will.”

“So, why did you call me?”

When I cut to the chase, he chuckled and replied.

“That’s a strange question. You were the one who called me.”

Huh? Why is the story suddenly going that way.

“…….”

As I remained silent at the unknown development, he continued to speak on his own.

“I don’t know how you found out my real name. But the fact that you told Soul Queens my real name, isn’t it because you wanted to meet me?”

Uh…….

If he’s going to be so sharp and then make a wrong guess, I’m going to be more embarrassed. I suddenly have a lot of thoughts. But as always, the time for contemplation was not long.

“Indeed.”

Since it has come to this.

“You weren’t a moron.”

Let’s change the course a little.

***

“That means…”

He trailed off, glancing at me. I answered by shrugging my shoulders.

“……!”

After all, he’s probably testing me too. It’s obvious that he’s trying to get information by asking questions like that. If I admit it, it’s fact-checked, and if it’s the opposite, he can eliminate one possibility. In fact, from his point of view, even a misstep is not a loss. Therefore…….

‘Let’s make him take a proper misstep.’

I opened my mouth.

“Yes, there is something I want from you.”

It’s not a bad situation if you think about it. It’s not just a saying, there are things I want that only GM can do—

“Then you could have contacted me quietly.”

Ah, that…….

“That way is not fun.”

When I answered vaguely, he interpreted it on his own as expected.

“…Well, it seems to me that you did it to threaten me.”

Well, you can think whatever you want. I got back to the main point.

“So, aren’t you going to ask?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“What I want from you.”

“…….”

He stared at me for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.

“Okay. Go ahead and say it. What do you want from me that made you do this?”

I paused for a moment and answered.

“Release Baekho’s ban.”

If I need GM’s power, this is the only thing. If Baekho returns to the community, I can talk to him. I also need to get information about our cat that he’s temporarily protecting. However, was it a request he had expected?

“…Indeed, that was the purpose.”

Surprisingly, GM had a calm expression. Well, it’s not unusual for players to form factions by nationality.

“Then, was it Baekho who told you about my identity?”

A question that seemed to confirm that I and Baekho were in cahoots. There was no reason to answer.

“Maybe.”

“What the hell… what are you two plotting?”

“There’s no reason not to answer.”

“…Huh?”

He made a dumbfounded expression as if he didn’t expect this answer. Hey, you should listen to what people have to say until the end.

“If you bring something of value.”

As I continued to speak, he frowned.

“Are you talking about… that interesting information?”

Yeah, that story was passed on to you too. When I remained silent without denying it, he tapped his knee with his index finger and then…

“Hahahaha………”

He suddenly started laughing like a deflated balloon. What, suddenly scary.

“You must be very confident in yourself?”

A cold question that was 180 degrees different from the kind and polite tone he had been using until now.

“I’m not without it.”

“That’s similar to me.”

“Does that mean you’re refusing?”

He answered without hesitation to my words.

“Yes. I have no reason to respond to a request that you unilaterally make after spreading my information without my permission.”

“…….”

“If you want to release Baekho’s ban, bring something of value.”

He got up from his seat and looked at me as if to ask if I had anything else to say. Well, I’m glad he gave me time to speak.

“That’s a shame.”

I said with genuine regret.

“That you thought I was making a deal.”

He tilted his head at my words. What are you pretending not to understand? From the first meeting, even if he pretended not to, it was obvious that he was afraid of me.

[Your way of speaking has changed a lot.]

He maintained a polite attitude despite my rude way of speaking.

[…Well, it seems to me that you did it to threaten me.]

He felt a great threat from my actions.

[Then you could have contacted me quietly.]

Rather than expressing anger at my past actions, he first expressed regret. Therefore…….

“I’ll give you three months.”

“…Are you threatening me now?”

I neither affirmed nor denied it. As always, the interpretation is up to the listener. He then said.

“…Even Baekho couldn’t do anything to me.”

Hey, speaking in such a small voice only makes it look like you’re giving yourself courage. There’s also something to correct.

“To be precise, he almost died too.”

“…….”

“Do I look as weak as that guy to you?”

“…….”

He didn’t answer. Therefore…….

“Remember. Three months.”

“…….”

“Then I’ll come find you myself.”

Now it was my turn to get up from my seat.

***

“Hah… I feel like I can live now that I’m back.”

After leaving the chat room and returning to my computer room, I collapsed onto the bed. It was an experience I had countless times after wearing the lion mask, but it was still quite tiring every time.

‘I didn’t know it would turn out like this.’

Originally, I was going to meet GM and try to find out how much he knew about me, and that kind of information. And maybe bring up Baekho’s story once. Yes, that was definitely what I was thinking at first…….

‘I didn’t expect him to be so afraid of me.’

My thoughts changed as I talked to him. The Magitech Scholar, Yurben Havelion. A mysterious powerhouse who knows that identity. It seemed that the position caused him considerable anxiety, and the fact that I was able to catch it quickly worked positively.

‘But even though his identity was revealed, it didn’t seem like the royal family was wary of him.’

However, as I slowly reviewed the conversation, a question I hadn’t thought of before came to mind. Without directly harming him, just leaking the information that he was a demon to the royal family would have been enough to ensure his destruction. But why did he seem to be wary only of direct threats?

‘…Does he have some kind of backing in the royal family? Something that can bury the demon problem?’

If that’s the case, I’d like to share that backing. …That wouldn’t work, would it?

‘The last conversation is a bit concerning too…’

I recalled the question he had asked me before leaving the chat room.

[Password. You didn’t say anything about the password.]

It was quite a confusing experience. Why the password? The way he said it, it seemed like it had some meaning.

[…….]

I didn’t know what to make of it, so I kept quiet, and that became an answer for him.

[Then, you really have nothing to do with that person…]

[…….]

[I’m sorry for holding you up. I’ll see you again soon.]

Hah, it makes me feel uneasy for no reason.

‘0720, huh…’

What was GM trying to confirm from me through that number?